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Sunday, September 19, 2010

The Monona city council takes up three transit-related matters on Monday, September 20. The first two are related to the RTA. To counter the premature proposed referendum, alder Munson and I are offering a substitute resolution. Our proposal calls for a referendum to be held after a transit plan is adopted by the TA and that the plan includes improved transit services for Monona.

Consideration of Substitute Resolution 10-09-1725 Requiring a Referendum on the Levying of a Sales Tax to Fund the Dane County Regional Transit Authority (Alderman Wood, Alderman Munson).

The substitute :

invites the Dane County Regional Transit Authority Board to hold a regular meeting of the Regional Transit Authority in Monona for the purpose of learning about Monona’s existing transit system and its future transit needs; and,

urges the Dane County Regional Transit Authority Board to adopt a regional transit plan that includes, among other things, increased transit services for Monona residents; and,

urges the Dane County Regional Transit Authority Board and the Dane County Board to conduct a referendum on a regional transit plan, including the amount of any increase in sales tax, at a regularly scheduled election and to abide by the results of that referendum.

The third seeks a broader view of the transit needs of Monona:

Consideration of Resolution 10-09-1724 Directing the Mass Transit Commission to Outline its Vision for Mass Transit in the City of Monona (Alderman Munson, Alderman Veserat).

Some other items of interest:

Proclamation Recognizing David Neperud for 30 Years of Service to the City of Monona.

Proclamation Declaring October as Energy Awareness Month.

Proclamation Declaring September 20, 2010 as “Bob Essock Day” in the City of Monona.

Consideration of Ordinance 8-10-616 Reconstituting the Sustainability Committee to that of a Standing Committee (Alderman Wood, Alderman Munson).

4 comments:

"(2) a. Unless otherwise provided under Subsection (h)(2)b below, a person operating a bicycle may enter or leave a bicycle lane only at intersections or at driveways adjoining the bicycle lane.b. A person may leave a bicycle at any point by dismounting from the bicycle and walking it out of the lane. A person may enter a bicycle lane at any point by walking his bicycle into the lane and then mounting it."

Because the way I'm reading it, if I am riding my bike in the bike lane on a section of Monona Drive (or Winnequah) with no driveways/intersections, and I encounter broken glass, debris, an illegally parked vehicle, a slower cyclist, etc, I have to stop, get off my bike, walk it past the obstacle, and then get back on it to continue riding? Seriously? I already encounter glass, dirt, sand, branches, garbage cans on Winnequah on a reasonably consistent basis, and pretty much any parked vehicle on the Western side of Winnequah completely blocks the bike lane.

Hopefully we won't have to deal with parked cars in the bike lane on Monona Drive, but the rest of those items are definitely a possibility. Can this be amended to simply have bicycles leaving the bike lane yield the right of way to cars?

The provision you cite is in the current ordinances, just to be clear. The chief is trying to address a few specific items with his proposal. It has not been to Public Safety yet, to my knowledge, so it will probably get referred there. The question you raise could be addressed in that review.

Thanks, I realized as I was reading it that it was already part of the law, and that the changes were in other areas. I was also somewhat concerned with the requirement that riders stay "as far right as possible", as that contradicts some of what the Wisconsin DOT advises, particularly as pertains to parked cars and lanes of a substandard width:

I read stay as far right as possible like this: When riding your bike stay close to the curb unless there is a parked car then go around the car but keep reasonable close to it. Once around the car then back towards the curb. I believe that this part of the ordinance is to keep bikes out of the lane of traffic so they do not impede traffic. Typically bikes are slower then vehicles even when the vehicle is travelling 25mph.